Winter Posts

Ice Spikes on Kingsbury Creek in West Duluth

From Wikipedia: “An ice spike is an ice formation, often in the shape of an inverted icicle, that projects upwards from the surface of a body of frozen water. Ice spikes created by natural processes on the surface of small bodies of frozen water have been reported for many decades, although their occurrence is quite rare. … Natural ice spikes can grow into shapes other than a classic spike shape, and have been variously reported as ice candles, ice towers or ice vases as there is no standard nomenclature for these other forms.”

Selective Focus: When the winter that wasn’t, suddenly was

Select images from Instagram showing scenes of what might normally be considered a very typical late-season snowstorm … if there had been a winter in winter.

Selective Focus: When Winter Was

Apostle Island Ice Caves, 2014, photo by Chris Plys

There is still time for the winter of 2023/24 to show its stuff. For now, all we have is the past.

Destination Duluth, a nonprofit that shares images and stories on social media in an effort to promote the city and region, recently declared “We want winter back!” A group of photographers have contributed photos from “when we had real winters,” posted with the hashtag whenwinterwas.

Record Breaker: Winter 2022-23 is snowiest in Duluth history

The Duluth News Tribune reports that the 2 inches of snow that fell overnight was enough to make the winter of 2022-23 the snowiest since records starting being kept in 1870. The season snowfall total as of 6 a.m. today sat at 137.1 inches.

Selective Focus: Wintery PDDs

Select photos from Instagram spanning mid-February to mid-March 2023, all hashtagged with the name of a certain website. #perfectduluthday

The Slice: Hiking Kadunce River in Winter

In winter the Kadunce River, an 8.5-mile stream near Grand Marais that flows into Lake Superior about 100 miles northeast of Duluth, becomes a frozen hiking trail.

In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Video: Sledding at the Laskiainen Finnish Festival in Palo

Videographer Adam Jagunich took his drone for a winter flight in the small Iron Range town of Palo, about 40 miles north of Duluth, to capture sledding scenes from the 85th annual Laskiainen Finnish Festival last weekend.

Video: Changing Seasons in Grand Rapids

Video by TruNorth Productions.

Thundersnow in Duluth

Duluth’s Mollie Johnson captured the sounds of thunder during this morning’s blizzard.

Patrick-Duluth way up in the snow

I saw a ship a-sailing
From old Duluth one day,
And oh! it was all laden
With coats for boys, they say!

Surf and Slide – Great Lakes Now

Detroit Public TV produces Great Lakes Now. The show speaks to me of what we share with other Great Lakes residents and how we should quit fighting about whether or not Lake Superior is the Greatest Lake. This episode focuses on ice sailing, and lake surfing (specifically the Surfistas): “It’s about stoke.”

Selective Focus: Presidents’ Day Blizzard of 2022

Somewhere in the range of 17 inches of snow fell on Duluth from Feb. 22 to 23, blowing into tall, fluffy snow dunes. Collected here are a few images from around the region, via Instagram.

Selective Focus: Winter Recreation and Icy Silliness

Sledding, paddling, lollygagging … drifting off on an ice chunk. Collected here are a few images from Instagram of simple winter pleasures.

Red pennants make sliding safe for kids at street intersections

An update to the post “Sledding Duluth’s Avenues in 1921“:

By 1922 it was determined that the safe thing to do is hang red pennants to warn drivers about popular sledding intersections.

Selective Focus: Snow Day 2021

A few select images from today’s blizzardry via Instagram.